


Pumpkin spice and gay panic - prinxiety

by Happy_Pappy_Patton



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Anxceit - Freeform, First archive work don’t judge lol, Human AU, I was wrong about Deciets name oops, Im sorry Janus I love you, M/M, Mild Angst, Prinxiety - Freeform, Remus being Remus, Sanders Sides - Freeform, Tooth Rotting Fluff, abusive anxceit, demus - Freeform, lets pretend this isnt Janus because he's just a small bean now, logicality - Freeform, this became dated real quick didnt it, unsympathetic Deceit
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-18
Updated: 2020-04-19
Packaged: 2021-03-01 21:28:46
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 13,329
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23723866
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Happy_Pappy_Patton/pseuds/Happy_Pappy_Patton
Summary: Roman Prince is one of the most wealthy teenagers in town, so he is naturally unamused when his mom forces him to get a job at a local coffee shop. His negative feelings change quickly, however, when he meets his new coworker, Virgil Knight. Feelings quickly grow between the two, and after a long day of not so subtle flirting and not so subtle Disney references, both go home with a severe case of mutual pining. There’s something that Roman doesn’t know about his new Knight in shining armor, and when he finds out, he will stop at nothing to change it.
Relationships: Anxiety | Virgil Sanders/Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders, Anxiety | Virgil Sanders/Deceit Sanders, Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders/Deceit Sanders, Logic | Logan Sanders/Morality | Patton Sanders
Comments: 25
Kudos: 155





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first work I’ve ever published, and I would really appreciate feedback! Don’t go too hard on me though, I’m only a smol bean :)  
> (Also, quick swear warning)

Roman checked the clock in his car as he sped down the road, hoping he wasn’t already late. It was 7:43 AM, and his shift started at 8:00.

 _Thank god. Mom would kill me if I was late for my first day_ , Roman thought. He still couldn’t believe his mom had made him get a job. At a local coffee shop no less! She hadn’t even had the decency to let him work retail, or at a chain. They were the richest family in the state, and their son was being forced to work a regular, minimum wage job for no reason. His dad was loaded, he sold engagement rings, and his mom was a successful model who had been on the cover of Vogue and the manager at both London and New York fashion week.  
Nevertheless, his mom had forced him to get a “real job” as she phrased it, so he could get some life experience. Roman had been baffled. He didn’t need life experience! They were rich enough to bribe their way into any college he wanted, and he was well known enough to get any job, so there was no point! Still, here he was, waking up early on a saturday morning to go serve people of a lower class than him for minimum wage with coworkers who weren’t even forced to be there.  
He sighed, turning up his music to drown out his own thoughts. As he pulled up to the little cafe, he shut off his song reluctantly, hopping out of his car and examining the place. It was cute, and very aesthetically pleasing, Roman would give it that. It looked like the sort of place he and his friends would come for a photoshoot to look both extremely attractive and supportive of local businesses, but other than that, Roman would never come here by choice. He pulled on the front door gently, cocking an eyebrow in surprise when it stayed closed shut. He tugged again, still with no luck. He was about to just give up and turn around, when he felt it swing open out of his hand. He looked up to see a man about his age chuckling at him.  
“It’s a push, genius.” the man. Roman rolled his eyes, and was about to reply with a trademark sarcastic comeback, when he hesitated. He looked at the other man wide-eyed, suddenly finding himself thrown head first into a gay panic that he was not at all prepared for at 8 am.  
The other guy was significantly shorter than Roman, and seemed to have dressed and accessorized himself in a way that purposefully screamed ‘emo’. He had messy black hair with purple tips and pale skin that contrasted harshly to the black eyeshadow under his eyes. Roman knew that he should hate the look like he usually did, but this guy was so cute that it worked on him somehow. He wore a tight black t-shirt that was artfully ripped in places, and matched well with his ripped black jeans and worn purple combat boots.  
Roman usually hated people who dressed like this, assuming that they were naturally boring or too sad for their own good, but this guy seemed different. His black cross necklace glinted in the gentle overhead lighting of the cafe, and the whole look was offset nicely by the crisp white and baby blue apron around his waist. Roman knew he must be staring, and blinked his thoughts away.  
“Ah, I see. Forgive me, I’m new here.” Roman responded quietly. What had gotten into him?! Usually he was a shameless flirt. He was loud, dramatic, and carefree, no matter who he was talking to, but something was off this time, and he didn’t like it.  
“You’re good. It was just funny. I did it too, my first day.” the other man smiled as Roman held the door open for him, and they headed inside. His new co-worker hopped up into a sitting position onto the counter by the cash register, facing Roman. All the chairs were still upside down on the tables, despite the fact that the store opened in fifteen minutes.  
“I assume I’m required to give you a tour?” he asked sarcastically as Roman set his bag on a table.  
“I mean, if you want…” Roman responded, looking at the cafe. The other rolled his eyes, smiling. They walked around for a few minutes as Roman was shown around the backroom, instructed where to put his stuff, given some basic rules with customers and things he should look out for, and finally handed his apron and name tag.  
“Roman?” The other asked incredulously, looking at the tag.  
“Uh, yeah, why?” he responded. Roman wished everything this guy said didn’t make him flustered. It was so unlike him, and he still couldn’t figure out why it was happening.  
“I dunno, I guess your name just seems kinda familiar. Actually, everything about you seems really familiar now that I think about it…” Roman sighed. He had gotten his hopes up thinking that maybe this other guy didn’t know who he was. He loved all the money and fame that came with who he was, sure, but nobody really treated him like a human when they found out who his parents were.  
“Prince.” Roman said flatly.  
“Huh?” the other asked.  
“Roman Prince. My name. My parents are really rich, my dad is David Prince, he runs Royal Wedding Engagement, you’ve probably seen him on ads. My mom is Rebecca Prince, the model.” He had given this explanation a thousand times.  
“Oh yeah, that’s where I know you. My dad got my mom's engagement ring from you guys. Didn’t you lose a bunch of money over some scandal with gay weddings a while back?” the emo asked casually.  
“Yeah. When me and my brother both came out to my parents a while ago they changed the rule they had about not selling to gay couples, which made a lot of people mad. In the end it worked out in our favor though, because we got a lot of positive publicity.” Roman hesitated once more when he saw the others' face, having not really thought about what he was saying. “You’re not homophobic are you?” Roman said nervously. He didn’t want to spend a seven hour shift with a homophobic emo teenager, he might have to quit on the spot. His mom would understand that, right?  
“Ha, God no. Quite the opposite actually, I’m gay too. Closeted to everyone but my close friends though.” His voice trailed off. Roman smiled, lighting up. He was cute and gay? Damn, this was going to be a long day...  
“So I’m a close friend then?” Roman said teasingly.  
“Don’t flatter yourself. You put me on the spot.” the other said, blushing.  
“Hm, alright then. So, do you have a name? I don’t see your tag anywhere. Or am I just supposed to be left guessing?” the emo smiled.  
“I don’t like wearing a name tag. Sometimes customers will call me by my first name when they order, and it’s weird. Like, I don’t know you like that! I only put it on when the manager drops by. Also, I’d like to see you try to guess my weird ass name.” Roman smiled.  
“Come on, Stormcloud, I am your close friend after all!” The other rolled his eyes.  
“Okay, I’ll tell you, but just because I don’t want you to keep coming up with nicknames. It’s Virgil.” he said. Roman smiled. Virgil was right, it was an unusual name, but it suited the unusual man. Roman decided he liked it.  
“It’s nice, I like it! I’ve never heard it before either. It suits you too. Maybe not as much as Stormcloud does, but it suits you.” Virgil rolled his eyes, shoving Roman playfully.  
“Shut up, Prince Charming.”  
“Jokes on you, I take that as a compliment.” Roman said.  
“Whatever,” Virgil muttered. “Our other co-worker should be here soon. She’s never late though, I wonder what’s up.” as if on cue, Virgil’s phone rang, blasting some emo song Roman had never heard.  
“Hey Valerie, what’s up? Everything okay?” Virgil said into the phone. Roman heard a woman’s voice talking quickly on the other end, and Virgil looked concerned.  
“Hey, Val, calm down for me. It’s gonna be okay. I got you today, don’t worry. It’s probably gonna be pretty slow anyway. Besides, the new guy is here, so it’s not like i’m gonna be alone.” Virgil offered, lowering his voice soothingly. They went back and forth for a few seconds, the woman clearly explaining something. Finally, he heard the voice respond once more, this time laughing, and Virgil’s expression changed into a deep blush. Roman was taken aback, thinking he had gotten over being flustered by the emo. But his blushing face was adorable.  
“How the hell did you know that? I didn’t even know that!” he listened for a second, before responding again.  
“I hate that you’re not wrong, but I’m still gonna need you to shut up before I do it for you.” Roman raised an eyebrow, curious. Virgil was clearly messing around with the other person, but Roman wanted to know what the other was being teased about.  
“Whatever. I hope everything turns out okay Val, really. But also, shut up. Like, love you, but shut up.” Roman heard the other girl laugh and say her goodbyes before they hung up.  
“What was that all about?” Roman asked casually as they started taking down the chairs and setting up for the day.  
“Oh, that was our other co-worker. A family emergency came up and she can’t come in today, so it looks like it’s just us.” Roman’s heart fluttered at the idea, and he swallowed hard, silently willing his heart to sit the fuck down and get its act together. Roman just smiled, trying to act like he wasn’t freaking out inside. He struggled with his emotions for a while, trying to figure out what was going on.  
Thankfully, Virgil had been right when he had told Valerie today would be slow. Roman didn’t think he had the mental capacity to deal with all his strange emotions, interact with strangers and seem happy about it, and figure out how to maneuver around the new area. Roman spent most of his time on his phone ranting to his best friends Remy and Patton about the new job and how all of their love lifes seemed to be at a stand still.  
**Baddest Bitch** : Guuuurl you got a job at a COFFEE SHOP and you didn’t think to tell me?! Like, um, hello?! Have you met me?! Rude...  
**Queen Roman** : Sorry bitch  
**Puffball** : Language kiddo! But I gotta agree with Remy here. You shoulda told us!  
**Queen Roman** : Ugghhh I’m sorry Jeez. I’m working rn if you guys wanna come chill. Theres like literally nobody here except the chill guy im working with…  
**Baddest Bitch** : Ooooh, spill sis! You’re alone in an empty cafe with a random stranger, and…. What next?! Is he cute? Hot? Single? Gay? His name??? Spill!!!  
**Puffball** : Remy, calm down! You’re probably overwhelming him. Roman should only tell us these things if he wants to! He hasn’t even given us a reason to think there’s anything interesting going on!  
Baddest Bitch: Well he better want to soon or I am going to flip. My. Lid.  
**Queen Roman** : It’s fine pop-star, I dont mind. Okay Rem, to answer your questions in order, he is actually really cute, kinda hot tbh, no idea if hes single we just met, and gay but closeted to most people. His name is Virgil. I might be kinda into him, idk yet.  
**Baddest Bitch** : Omfg im coming over there RIGHT NOW to look at this guy. Ive literally had a job for 3 damn years and ive never been alone with a hot guy for hours, but of course RoMaN PrInCe just waltzes into this new secret job and gets to live out all of our dreams on his first day?? How dare!  
**Puffball** : Remy, for goodness sake, language! And leave Ro alone! But I’ll go over to the shop too if Remy does. ;)  
Queen Roman: I forgot how extra you are Rem. And thats coming from me. ME.  
**Baddest Bitch** : Ugh leave me alone drama queen. K, ill see you losers in like half an hour!  
**Puffball** : I’ll see you soon Ro! And Remy I guess. Try to behave yourselves kiddos!  
Queen Roman: You got it Padre. See you guys then!

Roman sighed as he set his phone down on the counter next to him, turning around.  
“Hey, Virgil?” he asked.  
“Yeah, what’s up?” Virgil called back from across the room where he was wiping down a table.  
“So, I was just talking to some of my friends, and apparently they didn’t know that I had started working here, so now they’re gonna come over here for a while.” he explained.  
“Oh… that’s… chill I guess. How many of them are there? I need to know how much to mentally prepare myself for a group of people who would hang out with you,” he replied with a smirk. Roman rolled his eyes, sticking out his tongue.  
“Only two. Fair warning, one of them is a lot quieter than me, you’ll probably like him, and one of them is A LOT louder. You won’t like him. Both very gay. You can tell as soon as they walk in a room,” Roman laughed, and Virgil smiled subtly.  
“Wow, someone louder than you? I’m in for an adventure, huh?” they both shared a laugh.  
The time went by quickly, the pair joking back and forth, teasing each other, and finding out the interests they shared. Virgil was just in the middle of lecturing Roman on why Princess and the Frog was a hundred times better than Beauty and the Beast, when they heard the pleasant jingle of the door opening.  
“Hey bitches, we’ve arrived!” Remy screamed, bowing as he walked in.  
“Remy Sanders! If I have to say language one more time I will…. Well I probably won’t do much but I’ll be like… I’ll be kinda upset for solid… six minutes… besides! What if there was a kid in here!” Patton scolded. Virgil leaned over to Roman, whispering,  
“You’re right, I can already tell which is which.” Roman chuckled quietly.  
“Hey Ro! Is this the hottie you were going on about? Virgil, right?” Remy asked casually. He eyed Virgil hungrily. “Hey babe. He wasn’t wrong, you are pretty cute.” Remy winked.  
“Really, Rem? Jesus, you’re impossible sometimes.” Roman rolled his eyes.  
“Wait, hold up, say that again? What the fuck is going on?” Virgil asked, looking at Remy. Roman shot a death glare at his over-the-top friend.  
“Just ignore him, kiddo. Remy doesn’t have a filter most of the time. Anyway, can I have one hot chocolate please? Extra whipped cream with marshmallows? I’m Patton, by the way. We’re Roman’s friends, we just wanted to say hi!” the sweet one said.  
“Um… Ro?? Am I really just gonna keep going as if that DIDN’T just happen?” Virgil asked, staring Roman down. Roman shrugged, nodding, trying to cover up how much he was dying inside.  
“Get used to it babe,” Remy said with another wink. “I love a good venti latte hotte.” Virgil shot Roman a look that said ‘What the actual fuck is happening here?’ Roman just put his hands up in surrender, admitting defeat. “Oh don’t act so innocent, Ro. You know exactly what you signed this little cutie up for when you let me come here. Anyway, Mr. Business, I’ll take a venti pumpkin spice with three shots of espresso and a pump of hazelnut.”  
Virgil laughed, finally giving in. “Of course you’re a pumpkin spice latte girl. I should’ve known. And cracked up on caffeine too. That explains so much.”  
“Oooh, and she’s a feisty one too. Good catch Roman.” He smiled seductively. “Anything else you want explained, boo? I’ve got all night.” Patton coughed loudly, trying to get the others attention.  
“Okay Remy, maybe it’s time to stop torturing poor Virgil and sit down.” Patton looked so tired of the other that Virgil almost felt bad. Remy rolled his eyes, throwing one last wink at Virgil before strutting away.  
“Sorry about him, kiddo. He’s a bit much sometimes. And I know this is kinda mean, but please, do me favour. Don’t put extra espresso in his coffee. I’m bEgGiNg you.” Virgil smiled.  
“You got it. And thanks for being so normal. I really needed that right now.” Virgil replied. He chose to ignore Roman’s offended princey noises from behind him.  
“Anytime, kiddo. And please call me Pat.” Virgil smiled. Roman and Virgil made the drinks quickly, already working smoothly together. Virgil ignored Remy’s constant cat calls as he worked and brought their stuff over.  
“Thanks babe. Have I ever told you how good you look in white?” Remy said with a smirk, twisting the string of Virgil’s apron around his finger.  
“You better give me a damn good tip after all that or I swear to god,” Virgil said, handing Remy the check and pulling the string away.  
“You know it baby,” Remy said. Virgil had lost count of how many times this man had winked in the space of half an hour. He pulled out a 5 dollar bill. “Don’t share with roman, hun. This is all for you. And you know, maybe as a reward for my generosity, I could have something in return? A date? A kiss?” Virgil rolled his eyes as Patton and Roman let out various shouts of disdain from their respective areas of the room. Virgil smirked after a moment, tapping Remy on the nose equally as playfully and finally returning a wink.  
“Make it ten, and then we’ll talk.” Remy blushed, surprised by Virgil’s shift in tone.  
“Really, Virge?” Roman called from behind the counter, clearly done with his friend's antics and annoyed that Virgil was buying into it.  
“Aww, is someone jealous that I stole their crush, Roman?” Remy teased. Roman stuck out his tongue, resisting the urge to agree.  
“Oh as if.” Virgil said, looking at the ceiling in annoyance. Remy laughed, handing Virgil another $5 and smirking.  
“So about that talk you promised…” Remy whispered, smiling. Virgil took a step back, pretending to think.  
“Yeah, on second thought, I think I decided you’re not really my type.” Virgil and Roman laughed as Patton tried to cover his own smile with his sweater sleeve.  
“Hey! Thief! Fine. Whatever,” he covered his own laugh with a cough, trying to keep up his act. So, in that case, what is your type, Mr. Heartbreaker?” Remy asked. Virgil sighed, shaking his head as he took the cups off of the table.  
“What? I’m serious! Me and Roman have the same type. Shorter than us, black hair, preferably dyed, emo, kinda sarcastic and edgy but clearly soft-”  
“Okay, I get it. Haha. You can stop now.” Virgil said, shaking his head.  
“I know Patton’s type!” Roman piped up from behind the counter.  
“Kiddo!” Patton was already blushing.  
“Tall, glasses, nerdy, dressed in a way that looks like he’s always ready for a job interview, socially awkward but in an endearing way…” Roman continued to ramble as Patton went fifty shades of pink.  
“I feel like there’s a history here, and I’m kinda interested, but I don’t like seeing Pat upset, so I’m gonna tell you to stop.” Virgil interjected.  
“Thanks kiddo. There’s no real ‘history’, just a guy i’ve had a crush on for a while.” he blushed.  
“Aww, sweet! I’m sure he’s wonderful Pat.” Patton smiled.  
“Ugh, come on Virge, you’re the only one left! We won’t judge… at least out loud...” Remy complained.  
“Fine whatever. I don’t think I really have a type, just… not Remy.”  
“Oh yeah, and what am I?”  
“I dunno. Loud, kinda rude, aggressively forward, doesn’t listen. Generally kind of a dick.” Virgil shrugged.  
“That hurt a little, but at least I can find comfort in knowing you also ruled out Roman with that. And I live for nothing more than being better than Roman.”  
“Hey, that’s not fair! In what way did I rule him out?”  
“Um, literally every way girl! Loud, annoying, forward, kind of a dick! That’s just flat out Roman!” Remy ranted. Everyone chose to ignore Patton’s pleading looks to stop swearing.  
“Whatever. Agree to disagree.” Virgil muttered.  
“Oh yeah? And why do you disagree, Stormcloud?” Roman asked teasingly as he took the dishes from Virgil, getting closer than necessary and letting their hands touch under the tray.  
“Oh get over yourself. I just don’t think you’re a dick like Remy. You’re also not that forward, and everyone seems quiet compared to him. All I’m saying, is I don’t think I ruled you out.” Remy let out a suggestive,  
“Ooooooooooooh” from the table.  
“What are you, in third grade?” Virgil shot him a death glare.  
“Stop denying it Virgil! You’re clearly SO into him, just accept it! I ship it, but whatever. I have shit to do soon, so I’m gonna head out! Bye losers! It was nice meeting you, cutie!” Remy threw one last wink at Virgil, before disappearing. Virgil didn’t see the last look he gave to Roman, silently telling him to go for it.  
“I’m gonna go too! Thanks for letting us hang out here you guys! It was super nice to meet you Virge! And sorry again about Remy!” They all laughed as they waved goodbye. Roman and Virgil stood in silence for a second, still processing what had just happened. Finally, Virgil said,  
“When you said two friends were stopping by, you kinda failed to mention that one of them had the energy of a two year year old and on crack and basically counted as ten people on his own.”  
“Yeah, uh, sorry about him. I forgot how extra he could be around cute guys sometimes.” Roman stammered.  
“Hm, so you admit you do think I’m cute.” Virgil said, nudging Roman playfully.  
“Hey! That’s coming from you, Mr. Agree to Disagree.” Roman shot back, equally as playful. Virgil opened his mouth to respond, but came up empty handed, resorting to just sticking his tongue out.  
“Very mature Virge.” they both smiled. Virgil looked at the clock, and realizing it was a little ways past midday, offered to go and get lunch for them both. Roman agreed eagerly, not used to not being able to eat whenever he wanted, and Virgil left, leaving Roman alone. It was a very bad idea for Roman to be left alone at that time. So many emotions and thoughts raced through his head at once, and he couldn’t process them all. Did he actually like Virgil? It didn’t take him long to realize that the answer was, quite obviously, yes. He liked Virgil. A lot. Goddamnit. He pulled out his phone, texting Remy.  
**Queen Roman** : Hey girl, got some tea for you.  
**Baddest bitch** : Ooh, Virgil flavored tea? I’ve been gone for about five minutes, you smooth bitch ;)  
**Queen Roman** : Lmao you must be psychic. But unfortunately it’s not like that…  
**Baddest Bitch** : Ugh, why haven’t you gone for it yet!? He’s cute, gay, and sooooooo into you. I’m not even gonna mention how obvious your feelings for him are. Unless youre still trying to deny that lmao  
**Queen Roman** : As much as I hate to admit when youre right, you were right about this one. Im crushing HARD.  
**Baddest Bitch** : Ooh girl you didnt have to tell me that twice, that shit was obvious! You could cut the tension in that cafe with a knife I stg. I see why too. He isnt really my type you know, i just liked seeing you suffer in the corner while you pretended it didnt bother you.  
**Queen Roman** : I literally hate you so fucking much, youre a bitch  
**Baddest Bitch** : Im not sorry ;) love you too tho. K, gotta run, but have fun with all that mess over there and keep me updated! Bye queen!  
**Queen Roman** : Ugh fine. Bye bitch, ill text you later.

Roman shut off his phone again, putting on the drive through headset as a car pulled up and serving the customer. By the time he was done, Virgil had come back with their food.  
“Finally! I was starting to think you had run off on me.” Roman laughed.  
“Yeah, sorry about that. Ran into someone. Here you go.” he held up Roman’s food, and they ate in silence, both occupying themselves with different things and trying to ignore their rapidly growing feelings for each other. Roman’s mind continued to race as he re-read his text conversation with Remy. When they were both done, Roman struck up another random conversation, unable to bear the silence. They continued to chat casually back and forth for a long time, occasionally interrupted by a few customers or Remy texting, demanding details. Roman made a mental note when Virgil mentioned that his idea of the perfect date would just be sitting at home together and watching Tangled, his guilty pleasure. He felt a strange desire to learn everything he could about the beautiful human being before him, and he knew he wanted to remember every detail he could. At one point, a long stream of cars began to come through the drive through, orders coming through consistently, and they were reluctantly forced to stop talking as Virgil put the headset on, manning the station.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave comments, I would love to hear em! ❤️❤️


	2. Virgil’s pov

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a little angstier, but not very much so. Enjoy!

Virgil leaned against the closed drive-through window, absentmindedly staring at Roman. It hadn’t taken him long to realize he had a huge crush on the eccentric boy. They had only spent about five out of their seven hour shift together, and Virgil didn’t know if he could stand pining over Roman for another two hours. Still, he never wanted this day to end. It felt unreal. There was nobody else in the cafe at that moment, and the drive through had slowed to about a car every five minutes. As Virgil’s mind continued to wander, he heard a new car pulling up to the speaker to order. He sighed, adjusting his headset. He leaned over, looking at the coming vehicle. To try and keep himself occupied, he had come up with a game. He would look at the coming car, and try to guess what the person inside would sound like. He would then try to guess their face based on their voice. It was rare that he was ever even close, but he didn’t care. He was so bored now that he and Roman couldn’t talk as much. His eyes widened in shock as he saw the coming vehicle. He knew exactly what this person sounded like. And that wasn’t a good thing. He needed to get out of there. He covered his microphone, walking over to the register and tapping Roman on the shoulder. Roman turned around.  
“Yes, my emo nightmare?” he asked, cocking an eyebrow. Virgil ignored the fluttering in his heart as he tried to explain quickly.  
“No time to explain. There’s someone pulling up to the drive through speaker that I really don’t want to talk to right now. Can we trade?” Virgil looked panicked.   
“Uh, yeah of course! No problem.” Roman took Virgil’s headset from him, looking confused, but heading to the window nonetheless.   
“Hello, thank you for ordering with us, what can I get you?” Roman asked, sounding genuinely happy despite his expression. Virgil smiled. That was one of the many things he had grown to admire about Roman. He could act like nobody’s business.   
“Hmm. Interesting.” the voice on the other end said, with a scarily smooth voice. Virgil bit his nails anxiously, standing behind the coffee maker. God, just the sound of the guy’s voice set both of them on edge, and Roman didn’t even know who he was. Roman shot him another confused look. Virgil subtly mouthed, Later. Roman nodded. Virgil began to make the customers drink, familiar with the regular’s order.  
“Well then. I’ll have one large green tea with lemon, and one lemon and poppy seed muffin.”  
“Of course, coming right up! Pull up to the window for me.” Roman turned to Virgil.  
“Okay, whoever this is ordered one-” Virgil cut him off, handing him the drink and the muffin.  
“How did you do that?” Roman asked.  
“Oh, I started making it before he even ordered. He gets the same thing every time he comes here.” Roman smiled, taking the items from Virgil’s hands. The car pulled up to the window as Virgil ducked back into his hiding place. It was a bright yellow Jeep with windows tinted so harshly they were impossible to see through, and the intimidating man in the driver's seat matched the car perfectly. It was extremely quirky and slightly ridiculous, but sent shivers down Roman’s spine the second he saw it. The man rolled the windows down. He was clearly tall, with wide shoulders and jet black hair. He was heavily tanned, with a large patch around his right eye that was several shades lighter. Roman hesitated. This man was clearly extremely attractive, anyone could see that, but something about him was off-putting. He decided right then and there that he didn’t like this guy. Roman handed him his order.  
“Here you go, have a great day!” Roman said, trying to remain perky and push through the unsettling feeling in his stomach.   
“Yeah. Sure. Let me ask you, is there any one else working with you here today?” The man asked dismissively.   
“Uh…” Roman looked at Virgil, who shook his head rapidly. Roman looked back.  
“Nope, sorry. Just me. My co-worker was here earlier, but they just went on break. They won’t be back for a while.” Roman smiled, trying to seem genuine. Virgil shot him a grateful thumbs up.   
“Interesting. Well, tell your co-worker,” he stretched out the word mockingly. “That I said hello, and that I’ll ask him about his break later today. Okay?” The man smiled fakely. Roman started to talk, before the man cut him off.  
“And he’s off limits, by the way. Don’t try and argue, I know the kind of guy you are. Stay the hell away from him.” Roman crossed his arms, eyes widening in shock. Who the fuck was this guy?!  
“Look, I have no idea who you are, but you’re crossing a line there. You have no idea who I am, and no offence, but you sound like a dick. So kindly take your stuff, and get out.” The man in the car looked him over once, before chuckling deeply. Roman felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up.  
“I respect that. Fair play, sir. But I meant what I said. So watch yourself.” He rolled up his window, driving away. His engine was deafening as he sped off, further confirming Roman’s suspicion that that man was the worst. Roman grunted loudly, turning to Virgil with narrowed eyes.   
“I have no idea who the hell that was, but I can see why you didn’t want to talk to them. I-” he was cut off by Virgil walking up to him, hugging him tightly. Roman stopped, taken aback. Virgil was noticeably shorter than him, and incredibly warm, making Roman’s heart pound quickly. He clung to Roman tightly, wrapping his arms around his chest. It felt like Virgil had been drowning, and Roman was his lifeboat. Roman smiled widely, feeling a blush spread across his cheeks as he hugged back, supporting him as best he could. Virgil was still incredibly warm, and being smaller than Roman, fit perfectly in his arms. They stayed there for a few seconds before Virgil pulled away, flustered.  
“I’m sorry, I never hug people, I usually hate it, I just… Thank you for defending me. Nobody ever stands up to him.” Virgil was blushing too, and Roman smiled.  
“Hey, no problem. That guy was an asshole. Who was he anyway?” Virgil looked at the ground nervously.  
“He’s, um…” he stuttered.  
“You don’t have to tell me, it’s fine! I was just wondering...”  
“No, I just don’t usually tell people. Social anxiety, you know? He’s… my boyfriend. His name is Damion.” Virgil didn’t take his eyes off of the ground.   
“Oh… well, that’s fine! He did seem to be pretty protective of you. I just didn’t know you were dating someone...” Virgil smiled, blushing again. They were still standing unusually close, and neither felt the need to change that. God, Roman couldn’t get over Virgil’s adorable blushing face. His heart was sunk low in his stomach as he smiled fakely, trying to push through. What had he been expecting? A hot, sweet, funny, gay guy who liked the same stuff as him? Of course he was taken, it was way too good to be true.  
The rest of that day went by in a blur, with small amounts of people periodically walking in and out, but no matter what happened, neither could get their minds off of each other. Roman would casually tease Virgil as they sat alone, silently dying over how hot he was. Virgil would sit on the counter, staring at Roman as he wondered how a person could be so gorgeous. The end of the day arrived all too quickly as the unusual pair packed their bags and locked up.   
“Well, it was nice spending so much time with you, Virge. I wasn’t expecting it, but I’m glad we became friends.” Roman said gently, holding out his hand for Virgil to shake. The blush that Virgil had become so accustomed to feeling spread across his cheeks one more as he shook Roman’s hand, rolling his eyes.   
“Yeah, same to you, Princey. Despite everything, you’re not too bad.” it was Roman’s turn to blush.   
“Are you working tomorrow?” Roman asked, trying not to sound too hopeful. He had started off dreading this job, but now, he couldn’t stand the thought of leaving.   
“Um, yeah. I have the 6-10 shift. I have class later in the day.” Roman’s face fell.  
“Aww, I have the 11-4. That sucks. Maybe I’ll drop by during yours so I can say hi to you.” Roman offered. Virgil smiled gently, until he seemed to realize something.  
“I’d love that, but I don’t think it’s such a good idea. Damion will probably be here, and you saw how well you guys got along.” Virgil seemed genuinely upset at the idea of not seeing Roman again the next day, and Roman smiled, gently taking Virgil’s hand.  
“Well hey. How about I give you my number, and you can text me a good time for me to drop by when he leaves. I’m not gonna let some overprotective asshole stop me from ever talking to you again.” Virgil didn’t even try to hide his smile this time as he handed Roman his phone.   
“Wow Princey, real smooth.” Virgil said sarcastically as Roman winked. Roman put his phone number in, trying to hide his blush as Virgil took his phone back. They both stood in comfortable silence for a minute, staring into each other's eyes without realizing. They were interrupted by the sound of Panic! At The Disco’s ‘Death Of A Bachelor’ basting loudly as Virgil's phone rang. Roman laughed as Virgil answered the call.  
“Oh, hey Dee,” Virgil said into the phone. His upbeat voice didn’t match his deadpan expression as he spoke, still looking at Roman. Roman couldn’t hear the other end of the conversation as Virgil continued.  
“Oh, um, yeah it was fine. Thanks for asking,” Virgil stopped for a second, listening. “Really? Alright, see you then babe,” Virgil replied. Even though he knew it was ridiculous, Roman felt his blood boiling at the idea of Virgil calling the awful man on the other end ‘babe’. He had no idea how that horrible human being had managed to earn the love of this amazing man in front of him. “Uh huh. Yeah. Babe, please don’t worry about it. I love you, okay? Okay, good. Bye, see you in a minute.” Roman’s skin crawled. I love you. Roman was too distracted by the sinking feeling in his stomach to notice that Virgil was staring at him. “Ro, you good? You look… sick or something.” Virgil asked gently.  
“Oh, yeah, sorry. Lost in thought. Was that Damion?” he asked, trying to get his mind off things.  
“Yeah, it was. He’s picking me up in a minute so we can hang out at his place.” Virgil’s voice was quiet and he looked at the ground again.  
“Don’t sound too happy Stormcloud, you might hurt yourself.” Roman laughed, lifting up Virgil’s chin with one hand so they were looking at each other again. Virgil felt butterflies erupt in his stomach. He would never admit it, but Virgil hated being with Damion. Especially now that he had gotten talking to Roman, who he had discovered was everything he had ever wanted. Damion wasn’t necessarily abusive, but he certainly didn’t make Virgil happy, or even put in an effort to. He was over protective of Virgil in the worst ways, which to other people may seem sweet or loving, but Virgil knew otherwise. Damion wasn’t over protective because he loved Virgil, he just liked seeming powerful. When he and Virgil were alone, Damion didn’t care about him. He would ignore him, insult him, and generally walk all over him. But everyone loved Damion, so Virgil just sat back quietly, pretending he did too, hoping that someday someone would notice. Hoping that if he kept telling himself everything was fine, and that he was lucky that someone as lame as him managed to end up with someone as popular as Damion, that maybe he would believe it one day. Virgil’s thoughts raced quickly through his mind, and he almost forgot where he was for a moment. It wasn’t until he heard a car horn honk next to him that he was brought back to reality. He noticed that fortunately, he and Roman were no longer touching, or even looking at each other. Not that Virgil didn’t wish he could stay under Roman’s comforting support forever, but he was terrified of what Damion would do to him if he saw them like that. He started to feel guilty that he had let his thoughts get to that point.  
“Hey Virge? You good over there babe?” he heard Damion call out of his window. Virgil shook his thoughts away, looking over at Damion as the tall man walked up confidently. Virgil nodded, not really paying attention as he fiddled with the strings of his hoodie. Roman was still standing in front of him, looking at him with a strange expression that he couldn’t quite place.   
“Well, that’s your cue I suppose. I’ll see you around, okay?” Roman said. He phrased it as a question, but they both knew it was a statement. They weren’t about to let each other go.  
“Hmm. Making new friends, are we, love?” Damion asked, reaching where they were standing.  
“Oh yeah, Dee, this is Roman.” Virgil gestured to where his co-worker stood.  
“Oh, no need for the formalities, we’ve met before. You weren’t there though. I seem to recall it was while you were on break.” Damion said slyly. Virgil sighed quietly, but smiled.  
“Okay then. I’ll see you next time, Ro.” Virgil’s voice was quiet. Damion gave Roman a once over, before grabbing Virgil by his collar and pulling him in for a deep kiss. Virgil let out a squeak of surprise before complying, melting into it. Roman’s heart sunk further into his stomach as he said quietly,  
“Right, yeah. Bye then.” he walked away quickly, before Virgil could see the tears in his eyes. Virgil pulled away after a moment, wishing he were anywhere else. With anyone else. He smiled at Damion lovingly as the other led him to the car, but on the inside he was anything but happy. Virgil knew what his boyfriend was doing. Damion could read people. And he could probably tell immediately that Virgil was happy with Roman. So he was trying to claim Virgil as his own once more, blocking Roman from him in any way he could. He would keep stopping Roman from getting anywhere close to him, until one day, he would be so distanced that they lost each other forever. Virgil could see right through the manipulative jerk, he was getting predictable. He had done it with all of Virgil’s crushes, even before they started dating. Why would this time be any different?


	3. Chapter 3

Virgil and Roman spent the rest of that week trying to talk as much as they could. To their dismay, they discovered that none of their shifts aligned for the foreseeable future, and with Virgil constantly having to be on the lookout for Damion when they spoke, it started to get harder and harder for them to communicate. Still, they pushed through, facetiming when they were both off, texting during shifts, or even staying up stupidly late at night to get even one conversation in. It seemed like the world was doing everything it could to keep them apart, but both of them were hell-bent on staying together. They both knew they had something special, even if both assumed the other saw it platonically, and would do anything to keep themselves from drifting apart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it’s so short! Hope you’re enjoying this fic so far! <3


	4. Flashback

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a flashback to Virgil’s afternoon after his shift at the coffee shop with Roman. Our poor anxious boi is not doing well.

Virgil sat in silence on the couch next to Damion as the T.V. blasted some True Crime show Virgil didn’t care about. They had been like this for an hour now, Damion constantly on the phone with someone, texting, or generally ignoring Virgil, and losing his mind every time Virgil stopped paying him the slightest bit of attention. Virgil had stopped trying to use his phone at this point. He was sick of hearing his boyfriend complain and torment him every time he did, watching everything on the emo’s screen intently. Instead, he had resorted to daydreaming.   
He tried focusing on thinking of important things, like school, or work, or his boyfriend, but his mind always came back to the same thing. The thing he wasn’t allowed to think about. Roman Prince. Goddamn, Virgil couldn’t get his mind off of that boy. It made him so frustrated that he was sitting here with Damion, his supposed lover, when he knew that he didn’t care for the intimidating man at all. Not as a partner, or even really as a friend. He was trapped in a loveless relationship, dating a stranger, as his perfect Prince Charming wandered freely in the world. When Remy had asked him earlier what his type was, he would have been lying if he hadn’t thought about just saying ‘Roman.’ It would have been true. Roman and Damion were similar in some ways, but to Virgil, they were as different as two people could get. Where Damion was rude in a way that was meant to hurt, Roman was sweet and sarcastic in a way that just made Virgil smile. The two were both taller than Virgil, and muscular, but where Damion looked like he was strong because he wanted to hurt people, Roman was strong so he could protect people. Virgil’s heart fluttered rapidly when his mind settled on Roman once more, and it took everything he had to suppress a blush.   
“Virge, I’m so bored. You can leave now, I don’t really give a shit whether you’re here or not. I just needed you to get away from that attractive coworker of yours.” Virgil rolled his eyes. Of course. Everytime Virgil had so much as even thought about doing something that didn’t relate to Damion, Damion had freaked out because he needed Virgil’s constant attention. But all of a sudden, none of that mattered, and Virgil was no longer necessary.  
“Wow. Thanks, Damion. You’re so sweet.” Virgil muttered, standing up.  
“Don’t get sarcastic with me. You wouldn’t want me to get mad, would you?” he said, saying every word like a curse.  
“Uh- I mean- no, I don’t. Sorry.” Virgil’s face fell.   
“Good. You know where the door is. Don’t forget to grab your shit on the way out.” Damion said passively. Virgil nodded, grabbing his phone, backpack, and keys, and heading out the door. He sighed as he stood on the driveway of Damions house. Well shit. Damion had driven him here, so how the hell was he gonna get home?   
His heart skipped a beat. Wait. Was he actually considering doing this? He pulled out his phone, scrolling through his contacts, until one caught his eye. It read simply “Prince Charming,” with several varieties of heart emojis following. Virgil rolled his eyes, chuckling to himself. Of course that’s what Roman had saved himself as. He took a shaky breath as he walked a few feet down the road, out of sight from the house. He didn’t want to know what would happen if Damion saw him getting into another guy's car. Once he was sure he was out of view, he called the number. It picked up on the third ring, and a cheery voice asked,  
“Hello?” Virgil felt himself smile immediately at the sound of Roman’s voice, his shoulders relaxing. He hadn’t even noticed how tense he was.  
“Hey Ro, it’s Virgil. From the coffee shop.” Virgil hoped he wouldn’t have to remind Roman who he was, considering they just saw each other an hour ago, but his anxiety told him to prepare for the worst.  
“Oh, hey stormcloud! What’s up, aren’t you with Damion?” Roman responded.   
“I was, but he had had a pretty long day too, so we, uh, both agreed I should get home. Get some sleep.” Virgil lied.  
“At four PM?” Roman questioned.  
“Is it only four? Huh. Then yes, at four PM.”   
“Well alright then. I would have wanted to hang out as long as possible, but that’s just me.” Roman said. Virgil swore he could hear the other’s smile through the phone.   
“Wow, you’re so charming. Uh, speaking of hanging out though… Are you doing anything right now? I kinda forgot Damion drove me over here so I need a ride home. I mean if you’re busy it’s fine I can do something else, I just-” Roman cut him off.   
“I’ll be there as soon as possible. Send me the address and I’m on my way!” Virgil smiled. They said a quick goodbye as Virgil thanked him and texted him the address of the store he had found himself stood in front of. It was only about five minutes before Virgil spotted Roman’s bright red Porsche pull up in front of him.   
“Get in, loser, we’re going shopping!” Roman called out of his window. Virgil rolled his eyes unconvincingly, not bothering to hide his smile. He had been hanging out with Damion for a little over an hour, and the whole time he had either been pissed off or on the verge of tears. Roman hadn’t even gotten out of his car, and the first thing he said had made Virgil laugh out loud. Everything this man did made Virgil more and more sure that he hated Damion, and was falling quickly in love with Roman. Virgil hopped into the passengers seat enthusiastically, buckling his seatbelt. He bit his lower lip, trying to get rid of his lingering smile.  
“Thanks again, Ro. Really, you didn’t have to do this.” Virgil said.  
“Of course I did! Anything for you, Virgil! I’m your knight in shining armor come to rescue you from… something!” Roman ranted as they pulled away.  
“I mean, you literally only met me this morning, and literally I’m the knight, but I appreciate it anyway.”  
“What do you mean?” Roman said curiously.  
“Oh, my last name. Knight. My full name is Virgil Knight. I guess that never came up.” Virgil explained.  
“How appropriate! A prince and his knight.” Roman smiled, and Virgil gave up on trying to hide his own as he rested his head against his hand. They rode in a familiar silence for a while, neither of them feeling the need to break it. Eventually, Roman said,  
“So, how was your afternoon with Damion? You sounded kinda down on the phone,” Virgil hesitated, not sure whether or not he should be totally honest with Roman. “I mean, obviously it’s really none of my business, I was just wondering. I know I haven’t known you for very long, but I want you to be as happy as possible, you know?” Roman offered, taking his eyes off the road for a moment to look at Virgil.  
“No, you’re good. That actually means a lot. And, if i’m being completely honest, I don’t really know about Damion anymore. I care about him a lot, clearly, but…” he trailed off.  
“But?” Roman questioned. Virgil stopped for a moment. Did Roman sound… hopeful? No, he was imagining that. Roman didn’t really care, he was just being polite.  
“But… I guess I’m kinda over our relationship. It was fun in the beginning, they always are, but it’s different now. I don’t think I care about him like that anymore. Obviously I could never tell him any of that though. I just have to sit back and hope he realizes at some point.” Virgil said defeatedly. He had no idea what had come over him that compelled him to be that honest, but he didn’t regret it. It was time he told somebody, before it ate him alive. And he was glad that somebody was Roman.  
“Well, why not? If he really cares about you, shouldn’t he want you to be happy? If I was in a relationship with somebody, no matter how much I loved them, I’d want them to love me too. I would choose their happiness over mine every time. A relationship goes two ways. Surely he’d understand that?” Roman asked.  
“Okay, wait, there’s a lot to unpack there. First of all, nice Hamilton reference,” Virgil said, mind racing. Roman laughed approvingly. “Second, absolutely not. Damion is not the most… empathetic of people. He’d much rather I suck it up and stay with him than be honest,” Roman frowned, and opened his mouth to argue, but Virgil cut him off. “And third, what do you mean if you were in a relationship? There’s no way you’re single.” Virgil finished, baffled. Roman laughed.  
“There was a lot to unpack there too. And while I appreciate the compliment, stormcloud, I am in fact very single. Have been most of my life. It’s lonely at the top,” Roman said dramatically, holding a hand over his heart for emphasis. Virgil snickered, covering his mouth with his hand. “Rude. I’m serious! And besides, who would ever date me?” Roman said with a sigh, clearly not being over dramatic this time. Virgil bit his tongue, taking every bit of self control he had not to say himself.   
“You’re such a drama queen Roman. I can think of ten people right off the top of my head who would kill to have a shot with you.” Virgil rolled his eyes as he spoke. It was probably true, if he thought about it, but right then he was too focused on not having a heart attack from happiness.  
“Oh yeah? I’d like to meet some of these imaginary friends of yours. Are they cute?” Roman teased. Virgil laughed. They went back and forth like that for a while, neither ever wanting the car ride to end.   
After a few more minutes of casual conversation and not-so-subtle flirting, they arrived at Virgil's house. It was a basic two story brick house, with a white fence and a red mailbox, as if it were in a children's story book. It was so different to Roman’s extravagant mansion in every way, and Roman loved it.   
“Well, I suppose this is farewell, my knight in shining armor.” Roman said as he pulled up the driveway.  
“Yeah… I guess it is.” Virgil said dejectedly.  
“Aww, don’t make this any harder than it has to be, Virge, you’re making me sad! You have my number, and besides, we work together now! It’s hardly goodbye forever, is it?” Roman offered.  
“Yeah, you’re right. Thanks for the ride again, Roman. And I know I said it before, but I’m really happy we’re friends now.” Virgil responded with a smile.  
“Yeah, friends,” Roman said quietly. “Oh, and stormcloud?” Roman asked.  
“Yeah, Princey?” Roman smiled.  
“Good luck with Damion. I trust you can do what’s best for yourself, and I’m always here if you need me, okay?” he said. Virgil grinned, covering it with his hand.   
“Thanks Ro. I’ll keep that in mind.” They both smiled as they said one last goodbye, Virgil shutting the door softly. It had been a long day, but both of them knew they weren’t getting any sleep that night.


	5. Chapter 5

Virge! Are you excited?” Roman exclaimed loudly through the phone, forcing Virgil to turn down his volume.  
“Yeah, Ro, I’m excited. I feel like I haven’t seen you in forever.” Virgil said with a small smile. Virgil was a lot happier than he was letting on, but he had to control himself. He had started to let his feelings get the best of him, and he had to constantly remind himself he was in a relationship. As much as it hurt, he was too much of a good person to hurt Damion.   
“Okay, my emo nightmare, I’ll see you soon.” Roman said happily.  
“See you soon, Ro.” Virgil responded. Virgil and Roman were both giddy as they hung up and got ready. It had been multiple weeks, but the pair finally had a work schedule that lined up, meaning they could see each other in real life for the first time since their first shift together. Virgil would never admit it, but he had definitely put in a little extra effort this morning. He had placed his eyeshadow a little more deliberately, actually put in effort to his hair, and made a conscious effort to match his outfit and accessories better than he usually did. He was trying as hard as he could to suppress his feelings for the Theater nerd, but he never said he was succeeding. He pulled on his backpack, excited to go to work for the first time in a while. It would only be a few minutes, however, before all of that changed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It’s about to go down. The next chapter is suuuuuuper long, and the last one!! Hope you’ve been enjoying to far ❤️


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is the final chapter! Sorry for how long it is, I couldn’t find a good place to cut it up. Hope you enjoy! There is a happy ending, don’t worry :)

Roman pulled up to the small cafe, smiling widely. He checked his reflection in his rear view mirror, biting his tongue to subdue his grin. He hopped out, heading to the door. As he walked up, he saw the overhead lighting was on, and the inside was already set up. He glanced at his watch. There was still twenty minutes until the place opened, and Virgil had always been one to leave things to the last minute. Roman was confused, but quickly shook the thought away. He reached the door, opening it widely.  
“Hey, Roman.” he heard a female voice call from behind the counter. Valerie? He thought, not bothering to hide the way his face fell. He didn’t mind working with Valerie, they had shared many shifts and become close friends, but he was looking forward to spending time alone with his emo prince.  
“Oh… uh, hi Val.” Roman said.  
“Oh, don’t look so sad Roman. I know you wanted to be with Virgil. I’ll stay out of your way, I promise.” she winked. Roman laughed.  
“Don’t worry, I know. I just wasn’t expecting you. Our little place isn’t usually a three person job.” he explained.  
“Yeah, the manager is coming by at some point, so we wanted to look on top of it.” she said. He nodded. They sat talking for a few minutes, and were just in the middle of debating on which Be More Chill album was better, when Valerie’s phone rang loudly.  
“Huh. It’s Virgil. I wonder where he is.” she said, answering.  
“Hey, Virge, what’s up?” she asked sweetly. Roman couldn’t hear Virgil’s response, but he knew it wasn’t good. Valerie’s face twisted from an upbeat smile to one of deep concern. Roman’s heart dropped into his stomach as he heard her say,  
“Virgil, breathe honey. You’re okay. Just tell me what happened.” he could hear traces of Virgil’s panicked voice from the other end as he explained, and his head spun. This reminded him all too much of his first shift with Virgil, when he had listened to this exact conversation, just the other way around. “He did fucking WHAT?!” Valerie yelled loudly, making Roman jump slightly. What was going on? Where was Virgil? Was he okay? His head pounded with thoughts as Valerie listened. “I swear to god he is so fucking dead! When I get my hands on him I’m gonna-” he heard Virgil calming Valerie down from the other end. “I’m sorry. I just, UGH! We should have seen this coming.” she listened once more. “Yeah, he’s here.” she responded, glancing at Roman. His pulse quickened. “ Of course honey, I get it. I would too.” she grimaced as Virgil continued. “You’re kidding, right? Oh shit… That’s… an awful coincidence. If this isn’t proof we’re all living in a simulation I don’t know what is. Well… at least one good thing came out of this mess? Still, this is not gonna go down well, is it?” Valerie said softly. Virgil responded once more “Alright. Gosh, Virge, I’m so sorry. You didn’t deserve that. I’ll take care of things here, don’t worry. Bye.” they hung up, and Valerie exhaled loudly, leaning against the counter.  
“Uh, what was that!?” Roman asked loudly.  
“God, I have no idea how to phrase this in a way that doesn’t kill you.” Valerie said, putting her head in her hands.  
“Well please try! It’s already killing me! Is Virgil alright?” he questioned, panicking.  
“Uh… define alright?” she said half-heartedly.  
“What??” Roman questioned.  
“Okay, okay. So, Virgil isn’t coming into work today,” she said finally, holding up a finger to Roman’s lips when he began to protest. “I know, it sucks, but please keep listening. You know his trashy asshole boyfriend that everyone hates?” she said. Roman scrunched up his nose in anger, nodding. “Well… he cheated on Virgil.” she said quickly.  
“Fucking what?!?!?” Roman exclaimed loudly, moving her hand away.  
“I know, I know. He’s heartbroken, and he doesn’t think he could handle coming in today. And he was gonna tell you himself, but he couldn’t. There’s more. Something worse. He couldn’t tell you because… uh…” she trailed off, seeming to choose her next words carefully.  
“Because?!” He asked, heart racing quicker than he thought possible.  
“Because, well, you sort of… you know the person Damion cheated with. You know him really well.” she said.  
“Who!? Whoever it is they’re dead, I’m never talking to them again.” he said angrily.  
“I’m not so sure about that, Ro. But, before I tell you, please know that the person didn’t know Dee was dating Virgil. Damion tricked him into thinking he was single. The manipulative asshole…” she muttered the last part.  
“I mean I guess that makes it a little better. But still… just tell me!” he said, begging.  
“Fine. It’s… it’s Remus. Your brother,” she said, spitting out the words quickly. Roman stopped, speechless. His BROTHER!? His twin!? That jerk is so dead…. He thought, taking out his phone. “Ro, don’t. Please listen. Remus and Virgil already talked. Remus was as mad as you are when he found out, and he felt awful for hurting Virgil. You heard me say that one good thing came out of Virgil's heartbreak? It was that he and Remus are actually friends now. They confronted Damion together and both dumped him.” she explained.  
Roman stopped once more, putting his phone away after a moment. Remus knew how much he liked Virgil. They shared everything. And he had told Remus about Damion when he had been heartbroken too. But he had never used names, or even described the man in detail. Of course Remus didn’t know! He smiled subtly at the idea of his twin and his crush confronting the awful man together and becoming friends. His smile faded quickly as he thought about the other side of things, two of his favorite people in the world laying alone, heartbroken, betrayed, crushed by the same person. He could’ve stopped this. If Remus had just told him that he was going out with someone, he could’ve changed things. Why didn’t Remus tell him...? “Roman, please say something.” Valerie said gently, fear creeping into her voice.  
“Hm?” he said, shaking his thoughts away. He looked up to see Valerie’s concerned face. “Oh, I’m sorry. I was lost in thought. I just… feel awful. For both of them…” he trailed off. Valerie smiled weakly.  
“Yeah, so do I. But hey, on the bright side, at least you know your brother approves of your boyfriend.” Valerie said teasingly, shoving Roman lightly.  
“Wha- hey! No fair! He’s not- I-” Roman stuttered, flustered. Valerie laughed. After a few minutes, people began to trickle in and out of the cafe. The pair did their jobs well, putting on extra happy faces when the manager stopped by, and generally enjoyed their day as much as they could after their rollercoaster of a morning.  
Roman battled with his feelings for the majority of the hours, trying to stay calm. He was happy Virgil and Remus had bonded, but felt awful for the way it had happened. Heartbroken for his brother but still angry he hadn’t shared that part of his life with him. Relieved that Virgil was single and out of his hurtful relationship but guilty he was happy and still hurt for his favorite emo. So many conflicting emotions spun through his brain, and he barely noticed how much time had passed before the day was over. The clock struck four before Roman had even had a chance to get his thoughts in order, and before he knew what he was doing the next set of employees were setting up in the back room. As he grabbed his bag and said goodbye to Valerie, he heard his phone ring. His heart jumped into his throat as he read the name. Remus.  
“H- hey Re, are you okay?” he stuttered. He heard the shaky voice of his brother respond,  
“Honestly, Ro, not really. Not at all. I’m guessing Virge told you what happened?” he said softly. A smile tugged on the corners of his mouth hearing his twin use Virgil’s nickname.  
“Well, I heard through Valerie, but essentially, yeah. God, Remus, I’m so sorry. You should’ve told me! I could’ve stopped all this bullshit, I should've been there for you…” his voice faltered as a tear fell down his cheek, and he heard his brother sigh.  
“Roman, none of this is your fault. I shouldn’t have hidden what I was doing from you, I just- Damion is manipulative. I knew from the start he was bad for me but I- I just couldn’t stop. It was like-” he trailed off.  
“Remus, you can talk to me. I’ll always be here.” Roman said gently. It was rare that the pair ever had emotional conversations like this, and Roman wanted to make sure he took it seriously. Hearing his demented brother sound so broken and vulnerable was off-putting, but Roman loved Remus too much to push him away.  
“Alright well, being with Damion was like getting addicted to Pixie Sticks. You know you should stop, and you know it’s not even good enough of a thing to warrant an addiction, but you’re addicted nonetheless. It’s hurting you, but you assume it’s too minor to stop. So you don’t. And eventually, well… eventually you hit a sugar crash, and it all comes falling down.” he said softly. Roman hesitated for a moment. He could cry. That was the most Remus analogy he had ever heard. Quirky, stupid, and sort of hard to follow, but also heart wrenching.  
“Where are you?” Roman asked finally.  
“Um- I’m just at home, why?” Remus said, clearly confused.  
“I’m coming over. I’m not letting my baby brother sit alone and hurt like that if I can help it. I’ll see you soon.” Roman said determinedly, starting his car.  
“Oh, get over yourself. You’re older by thirteen seconds. And, uh, about the alone thing…” Remus said, his voice falling off.  
“What? Don’t tell me you have a rebound already, do you Remus?” Roman said teasingly.  
“Well, ah, no. But I do have a friend over. I think you guys have met before.” Remus responded. Roman could almost hear his brother's smirk as he cocked an eyebrow.  
“Hey, Prince Charming,” he heard a deep voice chuckle. Roman hesitated for a second, not recognizing it. And then it dawned on him.  
“Virgil?” he asked in shock. He was thankful that the call was only audio, because the blush on his face had become the color of Ariel's hair.  
“The one and only.” the emo responded with a small chuckle. Roman hesitated, barely able to think. Virgil had always had a deep voice, and it was one of the endless things Roman found attractive about him, but this was on another level. Roman assumed it was from a mix of exhaustion and heavy crying, which he felt awful about, but god, the way it made his heart stop almost made him forget what they were talking about.  
“Oh, um, hey there stormcloud!” Roman said, trying to keep his voice upbeat. “Are you doing okay? I can’t imagine how awful you must be feeling, I’m so sorry…” Roman said, voice genuinely distressed.  
“Thanks for your concern, Princey, but I’m fine. I wanted to break up with him anyway, remember? It was for the best. Just sucks that it had to happen like this I guess. But hey, if it had to get my heart broken with anyone, I’m glad it was Remus.” he said with another laugh. He heard Remus hum in agreement on the other end, and he could picture his twin pulling Virgil in for a hug. It made him smile.  
“Yeah. That’s still crazy to me. What are the odds?” Roman said casually.  
“Text Logan and ask him. I’m curious.” Vigil responded.  
“You know Logan??” Roman said in shock. This day just kept getting stranger.  
“Yeah, I’ve talked to all of Remus’ friends. I came to chill with him as soon as we were done with you know who.” Virgil said the last part quietly.  
“I guess that makes sense. Well, Virge, are you okay if I come over? I mean, it’s my house so I would kinda have to anyway but… I’d like to be with both of you.” he said genuinely.  
“Didn’t know you cared so much about me Prince Charming,” Virgil said teasingly. He didn’t give Roman a chance to retort. “I’m kidding, Ro. Relax. Of course you can come over. I still owe you a few hours to hang out if I remember correctly.” the emo said.  
“I- uh- well, sure?” Roman said quietly.  
“I’ve literally never heard you get flustered before, Roman. I can almost hear your blush.” Remus said with a snort.  
“Oh shut up. I’ll see you guys in a minute.” Roman said, annoyed that he had no better response. The pair laughed on the other end of the phone, and Roman hung up. 

It took him 15 minutes to get home, and the entire car ride was spent in a silent gay panic. What if he likes Remus? No, Remus would never do that to me. Or would he? God, I’m being so stupid. This is what I get for falling in love with a hot guy. He probably has men lining up just to get him into a hotel room. I don’t stand a fucking chance. Jesus Christ, I sound like a psycho.  
Pulling up into the driveway, he tried to temper his face into nonchalance. If he was going to do this, he was going to do it calmly. He walked through the door with the poise of a fairy tale prince.  
And immediately saw a large figure clad in black and green running straight (gay) for him.  
Before he could scream, or dodge, or defend himself, his brother crushed him in a bear hug that’s strength could rival a professional wrestler.  
“RoRo!” Remus screeched as the man in question struggled to breathe. “You’ve been gone forever!”  
“6 hours?” Roman croaked, hugging his twin back.  
“Feels like forever,” he muttered back, finally releasing the other. “You would not believe the day I’ve had. My head hurts worse than that time I tried to eat a beehive.”  
“You tried to do what now?” a voice drawled from behind, making Roman stand up straighter (gayer). He locked eyes with the emo who was leaning against the kitchen counter, trying to hide his amusement without much success. “Seriously, how is he still alive?”  
“No one knows…” Roman quipped ominously.  
“A shitton of drugs,” Remus deadpanned. When both of them gave him a horrified look, he laughed. “Jeez, always so serious. I don’t like how drugs taste, it’s worse than strawberry shampoo.”  
At Virgil’s concerned glance, Roman sighed. “I’ve learned not to question it.”  
“Probably for the best. Well, you better get out of the doorway; Ree is attracting all the flies.”  
Cackling, Remus dashed to the living room, but before Virgil could follow, Roman grabbed his wrist.  
“Hey,” he muttered, face getting hot. “Could I talk to you for a moment? Alone?”  
The emo’s eyes flashed with fear, but he nodded anyway, grabbing Roman’s outstretched hand. In less than a minute, the rich boy had led his crush up the stairs to his room and sat them both down on the bed.  
“Virgil,” he started, already feeling ridiculous. Focus, Roman. It’s now or never.  
The emo flinched slightly. “Calm down, Princey. You look like you’re about to tell me  
you’re dying or something.” His voice was light and teasing, but his face was anything but. Virgil rested a comforting hand on Roman’s shoulder, searching his eyes.  
“No, no. Nothing like that. It’s just…” He took a deep breath. “I’ve never really been one of those guys who falls in love with one glance. Wait, scratch that. I fall in love any time a cute guy looks at me. Forget I said that. I just… I've never been good with words you see, and this requires the best words I have. Because really, I can flirt all I like, but it doesn’t really mean anything does it? So… here I go, I guess.  
“Virgil you’re… you’re one of the most amazing people I’ve ever met. You’re sarcastic and witty in the most perfect way, and it makes me smile every time you speak. You’re interesting, and smart, and deep, and you make me think differently than I ever have before. You’re interesting, and edgy, and so damn cute... You’re unique, and just so you in everything you do. From your style to your personality to your interests you’re just… you. And I knew from the moment I walked in that café door I would spend the rest of eternity learning more about what that meant if I had to. I know I said I fall in love with any cute guy who looks at me, but never like this. You make me feel different than I ever have before and I… I...”  
Virgil cut him off, holding up a finger to silence his stammerings. His eyes bore into Roman’s, brimming with a hundred unidentifiable emotions. Way to go, Ro. You blew it. What the hell were you thinking?  
The prince was about to refute that you were the one who told me to explain when the emo whispered, almost imperceptibly,  
“I love you too, Roman.” Roman’s heart skipped a beat, and for a second he wasn’t sure if he had heard Virgil correctly. And in an instant, all hesitation vanished. Before Roman even had a chance to respond, Virgil had leaned close, connecting Romans lips with his own. Roman let out a small noise of surprise, before relaxing and kissing back gently, moving with care. His heart skipped a beat as the other slowly ran a comforting hand through Romans perfectly styled hair, and in that moment, Roman couldn’t care less about messing up his look. He could stay here forever. They moved together perfectly, Virgil’s arms around Roman’s neck, Roman taking the lead, the kiss moving from unsure and careful to passionate and deep as both of them let the longing they had felt for so long take over. Virgil tasted like black coffee and sweet chocolate, exactly how Roman had imagined. He felt himself subconsciously wrap an arm around Virgil's waist, pulling him as close as he could as they continued. He had no idea how long the kiss went on for, only that he was sorely disappointed when the emo pulled away, eyes still closed.  
“Virgil I-“ Roman started, but he was cut off by Virgil lifting his chin to lock their eyes together, closing his own before giving him a small kiss on the lips, this one short and quick. Roman felt dizzy, and still breathless, Virgil said,  
“You talk too much, Prince Charming.” A small smirk lingered on his softened lips. Romans heart was beating faster than ever as he chuckled, not really knowing how he was alive anymore with how inconsistently his heart was moving the past few minutes. He teasingly mimicked zipping his mouth shut as he leaned back in, but to his dismay, he was met with Virgil’s hand stopping him from moving forward.  
“As much as I would love to continue here, and believe me would,” Virgil said, face still close to Romans. The prince felt his cheeks go red once more, and Virgil snickered. “We should head downstairs. As far as your brother knows, we both just disappeared.” Roman sighed, resting his head against Virgil's chest.  
“But dealing with Remus takes so much energy, and I really just wanna stay here.” Roman pouted, prompting another laugh from the man next to him.  
“Alright, crybaby. Me too. But you gotta get up,” Virgil stood quickly, taking Roman’s hands in his own and pulling him up. Roman stumbled forward, now standing even closer to Virgil than he was before. Virgil hummed contendely, looking Roman in the eyes. “You are adamant, aren’t you?” Roman shrugged casually, a smile tugging on the corner of his mouth. He couldn’t believe this was actually real. He needed someone to pinch him. Actually, scratch that. If this was a dream, he never wanted to wake up. As if reading his mind, Roman felt Virgil lean in to kiss him once more, and Roman melted into it. Now that the pair was standing, the height distance between them was clear, and this time it was Roman who broke away first. He couldn’t stifle his giggle as he looked at Virgil, who had to stand up on his tippy toes to kiss the taller man.  
“Why have I never noticed how adorably short you are?” Roman questioned with another laugh, earning a light shove from the other. Roman looked him in the eyes, gently tucking a strand of hair behind the emo’s ear that had fallen in the way of his eyes.  
“Oh, shut it.” Virgil said, the red tint to his cheeks apparent through his white foundation. He held the Prince’s hand in his own as it moved through his hair, resting his cheek against it tiredly. Roman snickered, unwrapping his arms from Virgil’s waist as he stepped back, kissing Virgil’s hand in his proper princely fashion.  
“Alright, emo nightmare, you were right. Let’s go downstairs before Remus comes looking for us.” Roman said, taking Virgil’s hand and leading him to the closed door.  
“If his chaotic ass hasn’t already called the cops to declare us missing…” Virgil muttered. “So what are we gonna tell him?”  
“What do you mean?”  
“Well, he’s obviously gonna ask where we were, and neither of us look exactly normal, do we?” Roman cocked an eyebrow, thinking. He was right. Virgil’s hair was disheveled, as he was sure his was too, and the emo’s usually pale face was now flushed a bright pink.  
“I guess we tell him the truth. I mean, it’s Remus we’re talking about. Knowing him, he saw this coming way before we did.” Roman said matter of factly.  
“Yeah, you’re right. Alright then Princey, let’s do this.” Virgil stood taller, pecking Roman on the cheek with a smirk before walking out. They both walked quickly down the stairs, slowing down as they rounded the corner into the living room where they could hear Remus talking loudly. They both looked at each other in confusion, but Roman walked out first, putting a confident stride in his walk.  
“Uh, bro, who are you talking-“ Roman started, before Virgil heard him sigh in annoyance.  
“Hey bitch. You miss me?” Virgil heard a voice ask. Remy. He groaned. Of fucking course.  
“No. No I really didn’t.” Virgil said, walking out into the living room. He absent minded let his arm fall around Romans waist as he spoke. He didn’t notice he had done it until he heard Remy and Remus go in unison,  
“Oooooooooooooooh…” Virgil raised an eyebrow in confusion, before noticing what he had done and stepping away with a blush.  
“It’s alright, Stormcloud. Not like both of them couldn’t figure it out already.” He pulled Virgil back in closer, gently playing with a strand of his purple dyed hair. They both smiled, facing the pair on the couch. They waited for a reaction, and it was less than half a second before they got one. An ear splitting screech came from the two fangirling men, and the couple took a step back. However, instead of any sort of words they expected, the unlikely pair watched Remy stand up, point at Remus, and scream,  
“You owe me fifteen bucks bitch!”  
“God fucking damnit. Like, congrats or whatever bro, but could y’all have not waited ONE MORE DAY to get together??” The trash man stood up, handing Remy the money. Roman and Virgil rolled their eyes in unison, and the other two let out a collective cat call.  
“Well? You’re just gonna tell us you got together and you’re not gonna prove it girl?” Remy said with a wink. Virgil hissed in his general direction.  
“I hate both of you.” He said quietly. He didn’t have much of a chance to continue his sentence before Roman cut him off with a kiss. Virgil hesitated at first, giving up after a second and wrapping his arms around the taller man's neck. They pulled away after a moment, turning to face Remy and Remus with a teasing smirk.  
“There’s your proof.” Roman said to Remy, and for once in their chaotic lives, the two men were silent.  
“Well damn, okay then.” Remus said quietly, smiling wide.  
“Go off queens, I stan. I mean, not like we didn’t see this coming literally weeks ago, but still, iconic! Well, come on Re, let’s leave these two love birds alone.” Remy threw his signature wink at the two, taking Remus by the hand and pulling him out of the room. Roman shook his head, watching them as they left.  
“Well, what now Prince Charming?” Virgil said, sitting gayly on a large armchair.  
“Hmmm….” Roman trilled, sitting beside him. Virgil saw his eyes light up and he intertwined their arms, saying, “wanna watch Tangled?” Virgil's eyes lit up with a similar excitement.  
“I love you.” Virgil said, burying his head in Romans neck. Romans heart skipped several beats as he grabbed the remote from the table next to him, saying softly,  
“I love you too, my emo nightmare.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! If you didn’t totally hate it, maybe consider leaving kudos. Again, I would always love feedback and/or criticisms! Thanks so much.  
> Remember to get 8 hours of sleep, do your homework, and stay tf inside if you’re reading this during quarentine. Thanks again!! ❤️❤️  
> 

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed, and again, I would appreciate advice! I’m always looking to improve.  
> Also, huge thanks to my best friend Lauren, I don’t think this ever would have gotten done without her. We wrote a lot of this chapter together at like three am, and it was the most fun I’ve had all quarentine. Remember to drink water, eat your vegetables, and if it’s after two am, please go to sleep ❤️


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